Peace, Love, and Protein Shakes: Vanessa's Bariatric Blog

Hey everyone! Yes, it's been ONE YEAR since my gastric bypass weight loss surgery! I can't believe this time has come. It's been a rough ride, but I am continuing this journey, no matter what. I've worked too hard and come too far to turn back now. My brain is just going to have to catch up with my new body. That's what I've been realizing lately. Yes, there are days when I literally have a funeral for the foods that I can't (and don't NEED or WANT to) eat anymore, but then days like this remind me that it's not worth the agony and weight gain. Today, I managed to walk down my block and visit several places: the convenience store, the post office, the neighborhood Goodwill, and the library, and it felt so good. There was even a nice breeze and sunshine going too. I would have never had the stamina to do this a year ago. Time really does make a difference. Anything could happen in a year, a month, a day, an hour, or even a minute or second. So d

Two blog posts in one week, and consecutively? Nice! I had another letter to write in my open letter challenge tonight that I thought would be appropriate for this blog, as it has to do with the one thing I have despised the most in my life--my own body. Here it is. Warning: it's really personal. Yet I am willing to be vulnerable in sharing this anyway, as it is part of my weight loss journey. Dear Body, I have to be honest and admit that I have never liked you, ever. I have loathed your existence ever since I was made aware of the fact that I was overweight as a child, and eventually, obese until 2016, when I had gastric bypass surgery. I have always de-emphasized and minimized you because you were a constant source of public spectacle, ridicule, and embarrassment. I instead chose to be cerebral and neurotic, existing mainly from the neck up, especially my mind. In fact, even though I have lost weight. I still despise you greatly. You are still completely uncooperative a

I wrote this letter as part of an open letter challenge that I started at the beginning of this year, and then resumed this month. Today, the option was to write a letter of my choice, and fittingly, I decided to write a letter to my gastric bypass surgery. Doing this exercise was very helpful, and I hope it gives you insight on my progress. Thank you for reading. Dear Gastric Bypass, You have provided me with many positives and new opportunities. Even though I nearly died after surgery last year, I am still grateful for what you have done and allowed me to accomplish in a short amount of time. In less than a year, I have lost 150 pounds and am currently maintaining it. I went from being 360 pounds and a size 26/28, even a size 30 in some stores, and now I am an 18/20, which allows me to shop at more regular and socially acceptable stores. I have a greater desire to step out of my comfort zone and try new things, as well as attempt to socialize, if only for a short time. I feel li

Went to a gastroenterologist (a stomach doctor) yesterday afternoon. He was really nice and thorough, but there was basically nothing  he could do. He explained that the gastric bypass surgery is doing what it is intended to do-- to help me lose weight. Gastric bypass causes food aversion, or lack of desire or appetite to eat, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms are related to my surgery, and are common. Often, the food goes straight from the new stomach pouch to the new bowel. In short, anything I eat now goes straight through me without any time to settle, or digest. So there are only two options: what goes in must go up, or down. Also, since food has no time to settle, it is not being processed, which, hence, causes weight loss. The surgery was meant to cause malabsorption. Malabsorption is basically when the body does not digest food and its nutrients very well. And often, malabsorption leads to malnutrition, which is why I need the protein shakes since it is difficult for me